This blog is devoted to sharing my interest in and knowledge of the history and cluture of the ancient Near East.

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

DNA Testing on Arsinoe IV (?) Fails

Once again, the alleged body of Arsinoe IV (the sister or half-sister of Cleopatra) is in the news. Hilke Thur, an archaeologist at the Acadamy of Sciences in Austria had a DNA analysis done on a body believed to be that of Arsinoe IV, but the body has been touched too many times for an uncontaminated DNA sample to be obtained.

About Me

I have worked in the securities industry for more than thirty years and founded a consulting firm (ASJ International, Inc.) in the financial services industry in 2009. I also trade stocks and options.
I have a B.A. in Middle Eastern Studies from City University of New York and have been studying the Ancient Near East for over 40 years. I was formerly the Secretary of the Egyptological Seminar of New York and have lectured there and at City University of New York. I can read Akkadian, Sumerian and Ancient Egyptian.